Valhalla Hills – Definitive Edition

Valhalla Hills is city builder strategy, resembling some Settlers games. Main purpose of building settlements in this game, is to reach portal to next level. It has campaign mode, but all maps are randomly generated. Maybe playing this game would feel more meaningful with carefully hand crafted maps. Some maps are harder than others.
Settlement building basically feels good. But, there are some aspects which make it tedious to play. Building work pretty fine, but roads cause problems. Building roads blocks places for buildings, and good building placement area is limited. Just delete road to get places for building, place building, and add roads again.
Logistics in this game do not seem to work very well. Or maybe it was just player error. Vikings need lot of food, and most of buiildings and people are dedicated to food production. Even so they begin to starve, and work less efficiently. There are not much things you can adjust in logistics.
But it was still fun to play, for a while. Recommended if you are city builder fan and get it heavily discounted.

Valhalla Hills is a Viking-themed strategy and settlement management game developed by Funatics Software and published by Daedalic Entertainment that draws clear inspiration from classic city builders while carving out its own identity through procedural maps, indirect control, and a mythological framing. From the outset, the game establishes a clear and focused premise: a group of fallen Vikings has been denied entry to Valhalla, and it is up to the player to guide them through harsh, mountainous landscapes, build thriving settlements, and ultimately prove their worth to the gods. Rather than telling this story through dialogue or cutscenes, the game expresses its themes through systems, objectives, and the steady climb toward each island’s summit.
At the core of Valhalla Hills is a resource-driven settlement simulation that emphasizes planning and logistics over micromanagement. Each map is procedurally generated, ensuring that terrain, resource placement, and environmental constraints vary from mission to mission. This procedural structure forces players to adapt their strategies rather than relying on fixed build orders, as access to food, wood, stone, and metal can differ dramatically depending on geography. Establishing a sustainable economy requires careful placement of buildings, thoughtful expansion of production chains, and an understanding of how resources flow through the settlement. Success is not measured by endless growth, but by efficiency and the ability to reach specific goals within the constraints of the environment.
One of the defining design choices of the game is its indirect control over villagers. Rather than issuing commands to individual units, players assign professions by constructing buildings, and the Vikings autonomously carry out their duties. This approach creates a sense of a living settlement that operates on its own logic, which can be both rewarding and frustrating. When everything aligns, watching villagers transport goods, expand infrastructure, and sustain themselves is deeply satisfying. However, when something goes wrong—such as a bottleneck in production or unclear worker behavior—the lack of direct control can make problem-solving feel opaque. Understanding the underlying systems becomes essential, as the game expects players to think like planners rather than commanders.
Progression in Valhalla Hills revolves around unlocking paths upward, both literally and figuratively. Each island culminates in a portal guarded by powerful entities that must be dealt with either through military force or offerings to the gods. This choice introduces light strategic variation, allowing players to decide whether to invest more heavily in weapon production and soldier training or focus on resource surplus for sacrifices. While combat is present, it is not the primary focus; battles are largely an extension of your settlement’s economic strength. If your village is well supplied and efficiently run, combat encounters tend to resolve smoothly, reinforcing the idea that preparation matters more than tactical finesse.
Visually, the game adopts a stylized, almost storybook art direction that leans into warmth and charm rather than grim realism. Characters are expressive and slightly exaggerated, environments are colorful despite their harsh settings, and lighting effects give settlements a cozy feel even on dangerous mountain slopes. This aesthetic choice helps soften the sometimes demanding nature of the gameplay, making long sessions of planning and optimization feel inviting rather than exhausting. The soundtrack and ambient audio further reinforce this tone, providing a calm, atmospheric backdrop that complements the slow, deliberate pace of the game.
Despite its strengths, Valhalla Hills does struggle with repetition over extended play. The core loop—establish settlement, secure resources, climb the mountain, deal with the guardian—remains largely unchanged across missions. While procedural generation introduces variation in layout, the objectives and progression structure stay familiar, which can make later stages feel predictable. Some players may also find the interface and feedback systems lacking in clarity, especially when diagnosing inefficiencies or understanding why villagers are behaving a certain way. These issues do not break the experience, but they do highlight the game’s reliance on patience and genre familiarity.
The inclusion of additional content through expansions and the Definitive Edition helps broaden the experience, introducing new environments and challenges that add some variety to the formula. These additions are most rewarding for players who already enjoy the base mechanics and are looking for more scenarios to test their planning skills. However, even with expanded content, the game remains firmly rooted in its original design philosophy, favoring steady, methodical progression over dramatic shifts in gameplay.
Ultimately, Valhalla Hills is a game that appeals most to players who appreciate classic settlement builders and are comfortable with indirect control systems. It does not aim to overwhelm with complexity or dazzle with narrative spectacle, instead offering a measured, systems-driven experience built around efficiency, adaptation, and quiet satisfaction. While it may not reach the depth or longevity of genre-defining titles, it succeeds as a thoughtful and atmospheric city builder with a distinct Viking flavor. For players seeking a relaxed yet challenging strategy experience that rewards planning and observation, Valhalla Hills offers a climb worth taking, even if the path upward is sometimes uneven.
Rating: 5/10

It is a charming, relaxing city-builder that successfully captures the spirit of classic titles like The Settlers and Cultures whilst keeping things simple and accessible. The game's standout feature is its beautiful, "paper cut-out" art style and atmospheric lighting, which make managing your Viking tribe feel like a cozy, low-stress experience. While the core loop of gathering resources and building up a settlement to reach a mountain portal is engaging at first, later it becomes repetitive, and you see the lack of a traditional story campaign a bit thin for long-term play. Additionally, the indirect control of units can lead to occasional frustration when the AI doesn't quite behave as expected.
Also, the Achievements are broken. I got 1 hour play Achievement after 5 minutes of play, got other Achievements way faster and before than expected, when I didn't meet the requirements. I don't know why, but from what I heard, I am not alone, some players do get random Achievement pop ups.

Valhalla Hills is a charming and relaxing town management game where you guide a group of Vikings who believe that the key to entering Valhalla is their building prowess – not their combat skills. While the concept may sound a bit quirky, it actually works really well and brings a light-hearted tone to the game. The gameplay itself is simple and easy to pick up, making it a great choice for newcomers to city-building games. Your goal is to explore and manage randomly generated small islands, each with its own unique challenges. The game is perfect for introducing young players or casual fans to the world of town management and strategy.

nice game!